Egging

Egging is the act of throwing eggs at houses, cars, or people. Egging is a criminal offence in most areas. The eggs are usually raw, but are sometimes hard-boiled or rotten.

Egging is sometimes associated with certain events and holidays. For example, in parts of England and the United States, October 30 is referred to as "Mischief Night", when mischievous teens rub soap bars on car windows, throw eggs at houses, adorn trees with toilet paper, and run away after ringing doorbells. In some areas of Queens, New York, "Cabbage Night" involved throwing rotten fruit at various neighbors, cars, and buses.

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Eggs are capable of causing damages when thrown at property, and egging is considered vandalism in addition to many other severe crimes. Eggs can break windows and, when thrown at cars, can dent a body panel or chip paint where the shell breaks, leaving an oval outline. Egg whites can degrade certain types of vehicle and house paint. Whether or not the egg damages the surface beneath it, dried egg can be difficult to remove, and removal attempts with scrapers or abrasives can damage the surface. In addition to physical damages to property, egging of property may spread diseases. This may infect the victim and possibly many victims with E. coli, salmonella, other viruses, and more.

Victims of egging may be entitled to compensation for the cost of repairs, cleaning (including cleaning supplies such as gloves, soap, water, and disinfectant) to mend damaged property and spread of disease. Common charges involved with eggings are damage to property, vandalism, and nuisance.[1] In more serious cases where injuries from egging are presented, perpetrators may be charged with assault and fined.[2]

Egging of a person's face can cause serious injuries and eye injury,[3][4] and may constitute assault and battery.[5] A nurse was blinded in one eye when an egg was thrown at her from a passing car in March 2008 in Dublin.[6] A boy on Long Island lost sight in one eye after teens from a local high school threw eggs out of a passing car on Halloween 2005.[7] Medical compensation may be required for victims of egging due to infections and spread of diseases such as salmonella, E. coli, conjunctivitis and meningitis. Diseases from egging entering the eyes may cause serious infections of the eyes and the membrane of eye tissues, which can spread and further infect the brain.

On 1 June 1970, UK Prime MinisterHarold Wilson was hit in the face by a raw egg thrown by a young man named Richard Ware, a member of the Young Conservatives. Wilson was visiting Wealdstone Labour Hall in North West London at the time, he quipped: "If they are fighting the cost of living in Harrow, obviously eggs must be cheap enough to throw about." Wilson was campaigning for re-election at the upcoming general election on 18 June 1970, but was unsuccessful in doing so, and was defeated by the Conservative Party led by Edward Heath; who succeeded Wilson as Prime Minister.[30]

In Brazil it was common to throw eggs at someone on their birthday, with or without their consent, as a friendly prank among the younger.[31][32] Usually, wheat flour is also poured on the person's head after the eggs, with the idea of "a cake being made on their heads". This was common in the 80s but not widely performed anymore, with a few exceptions, such as the Guarani FC midfielder José Fernando Fumagalli, that had eggs and wheat flour thrown by his team colleagues in his 40th birthday in 2017, along with his eventual retirement announcement.[33][31][32]

The tradition originated in the 1980s,[31] in Mexico, where it was common to break "cascarones" (eggshells) on a person's head at their birthday party as a vow of good fortune. The eggs were usually filled with confetti and colored with dye or crayons.[32]